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The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Book by Ellen Bass · 6 quotes · Healing, Survivors, Abuse Survivors

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The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Quotes

“I know you're in a world of pain, but that pain will lessen. At the beginning you can't see that. You can only see your pain and you think it will never go away. But the nature of pain is that it changes— it changes like a sunset. At first, it's this intense red-orange in the sky, and then it starts getting softer and soften. The texture of pain changes as you work through it. And then one day, you wake up and realize that life isn't just about working through your incest; it's about living, too. - survivor of child sexual abuse”

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Book:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
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“Healing was a terrifying and painful experience and my life was as full of struggle and heartache as it had always been. Several years after I started therapy, I began to feel happy. I was stunned. I hadn't realized that the point of all this work on myself was to feel good. I thought it was just one more struggle in a long line of struggles. It took a while before I got used to the idea that my life had changed, that I felt happy, that I was actually content. Learning to tolerate feeling good is one of the nicest parts of healing.”

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Book:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
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“Often feelings of shame, powerlessness, and self-hate are bottled up with the memories, and as the memories come through, these feelings do, too. Yet healing isn't just about pain. It's about learning to love yourself.”

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Book:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
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“Deciding to actively heal is terrifying because it means opening up to hope. For many survivors, hope has brought only disappointment. Although it is terrifying to say yes to yourself, it is also a tremendous relief when you finally stop and face your own demons. There is something about looking terror in the face, and seeing your own reflection, that is strangely relieving. There is comfort in knowing that you don't have to pretend anymore, that you are going to do everything within your power to heal. As one survivor put it, "I know now that every time I accept my past and respect where I am in the present, I am giving myself a future." - The Courage to Heal”

HealingRecoveryTrue SelfAuthentic SelfAbuse SurvivorsSurvivorsHealing JourneySaying YesReal SelfLooking To The FutureHealing From AbuseRecovery From AbuseSay YesNot PretendingAccepting The PastFacing Your DemonsAccept Your Own TruthDon T PretendSay Yes To YourselfTime To HealChoosing To HealCos Sexual Abuse SurvivorsDeciding To HealGave Your Feelings
Book:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
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“... it is possible to heal. It is even possible to thrive. Thriving means more than just an alleviation of symptoms, more than Band-Aids, more than functioning adequately. Thriving means enjoying a feeling of wholeness, satisfaction in your life and work, genuine love and trust in your relationships, pleasure in your body.”

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Book:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
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“In spite of the horror, in spite of the tragedy, in spite of the weeks of sleepless nights, I'm finally alive. I'm not pretending. I feel real. I'm not playing charades anymore. I wouldn't go back to the way I was for anything. I'm really like a different person. I'm where I am, and I'm making the most of it. I know I'm courageous now. I found out I had it in me to face this. — Barbara”

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Book:The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
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